This happened recently. I was worried about relating it due to Loshon
Hara, so I try to add anonimity.
Someone from nearby came to me saying he needed a loan because his key
broke off in his lock and it was late in the evening. I gave him money.
He came again for more several times, and each time I gave him more, but
less than the previous time. Eventually it was more than 100,- (which is
not nothing for us who don't have that much). He offered his phone or
scooter as collateral, but I refused. He offered interest on the loan, I
also refused that. After a while when he kept asking for money, I
stopped believing his stories.
The guy is not a great example of a righteous individual, I dare say.
Into drugs, and I heard his whole flat has voted to get him out of there
because of the nuisance he is causing. I don't think under the Torah
law, it was obligatory to lend to him. However I did it, also because I
complain so much about financial Torah law, and I don't need a precedent
against me which the enemy can use.
According to the norms of our country, this person just being a neighbor
in the area and not a friend, I would have been fine without lending
anything, or at the most maybe 20,- According to our norms, I was
extremely generous and trusting.
He kept going on about paying it back, tomorrow this tomorrow that,
which is still going on if he sees me, but nothing ever happens. He did
pay back about half now, but the rest does not seem to come back. I did
not dare to press him on it much or at all, and was very easy going by
saying: just pay me a few euros each time you have it.
Then there is the story of the theft. There was a construction going on
in my rented house by the corporation. I left while they where busy, and
when I came back I found my loose change box to be stolen. After some
asking around with the construction people (nice dudes), they described
someone who has the exact mannerism ("Jos! Jos!") coming into the house
because the door was open, and walking into the living room until he saw
them, at which point this "unknown" person was very startled, they said.
He then apparently turned around and left. The workers where in the
kitchen. Previously I had given money from this box directly to the one
whom I lended money to, so he knew where this box was. The workers where
in the kitchen and could not see that box from there. It was three steps
to the box, from the position where the "unknown" person had been seen.
Later I found out however, that also my other neighbor (nice trustworthy
lady, very generous, tidy house, cat always comes over here) had been in
my house.
I went to the police, thinking I knew who did it, and reported the whole
thing. The police was very nice and heard the whole story out with a
precision I didn't know was possible (lol). Sadly they said, it was not
enough to do something. It could have been anyone, the door was open.
They are right, so I let it go. If the police cannot push on it, then I
can also not push on it. It remains unknown (officially).
When I talked to the person I lended money to again, because he had
another excuse for why he wasn't paying (be it his mother's car broke
down suddenly, or he was fired suddenly, or he was arrested suddenly, or
he wasn't payed yet ......), and said the workers had seen someone who
was wearing a shirt or sweater with a skull on its shoulder, he said he
didn't even have clothes with a skull on it. While he was saying that,
he was wearing a sweater with a foot large green skull on the front.
I said nothing.
I didn't dare to press more on the issue of the loan, for fear of the
God of Israel, because there are ways in which these events can be
exploited against me if I had proven to be a harsh creditor against the
person in question. It could seem hypocritical after so many years of
complaining.
Somehow I felt though, the money would come back to me.
My other neighbor then, suddenly started giving me 50,- Euro, because
she said I am a good cause. I tried to refuse it, but by the laws of the
tribes here as they once where (long forgotten though) it is not decent
to refuse a present. She said she always gives a 50,- to some cause
every month or so (a thing I have also done in the past sometimes). She
also felt it was sad for me, to loose this money that way. Since I have
been given 100,- in total, which means the total of the losses is made
up. I was not in trouble however, even if I had lost all the money in
question (which may be around 175,- Euro).
Who has a neighbor, who just starts to give you 50,- Euro notes, even
though you don't really need it ?
Hence I see it this way: I did my best for your Torah and your laws, and
lost more money at some point than I might otherwise have lost.
Nevertheless, I got it all back in an unexpected way. Obviously I am not
lending to this person anymore, and will be more cautious next time when
lending to people who may be running a scam, or who deveate
greatly from how a righteous person is expected to be.
Thus the story of the loaned money which was lost partially out of fear
of not doing a wrong, and came back from another direction.
Since I have heard this statement about the person I loaned to, when he
was invited somewhere but asked not to steal from that house: I won't
steal from you, because I like you. (!) This is hearsay, though.
*
It's a story where you can see, that not only the rich are at fault in
ruining the Torah law with their prozbul, but also the poor can be at
fault when they start to run scams and not pay back loans even when they
do need to pay them back and when they can pay them back, plus possible
stealing and lying. The world at large is out of balance this way, from
both ends: rich and poor. While more balance will not likely solve
everything, it should make a positive difference. The land has to be
distributed to all, economic power needs to be spread out more.
I was stupid to lend that much and easily to someone of questionable
reputation, and not guard the house properly.
Have a good day.
-- Economic & political ideology, worked out into Constitutional models,with a multi-facetted implementation plan. http://market.socialism.nl
The story of a loan to a poor man (real & personal)